The White Rose (The Lone City Trilogy, #2)

by Amy Ewing

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/11/the-white-rose-i-love-this-series.html
The Lone City series may be the last of the traditional young adult series with instant love, a revolution and fighting against an oppressive regime... And I loved every moment. It's almost a guilty pleasure much in the same way readers enjoyed The Selection, and The White Rose is a fantastic installment in the series. Once again we follow the storyline of Violet on her journey as Surrogate for the Duchess of The Lake, for her Augury ability and her unusual eye colour. She's been separated from her best friend in Raven, who is being tortured for the sake of science and barely coherent. It isn't until Violet and the royal consort in Ash are caught in each others embrace, when they realise how dangerous the situation has become. To survive, they must escape and along with a disillusioned Raven, their only source of safety may be the illusive Farm.

Over the course of The White Rose, the focus moves away from the romance of book one with the storyline following the revelations of The Jewel and Violet, Ash and Raven's escape from the clutches of the royals. The instant love has been replaced with a much more comfortable companionship, as Violet's main focus is to reach the Farm and ensure Raven's safety. I really enjoyed Violet's character so much more in this installment. She didn't hesitate to take charge, putting the lives of both Raven and Ash before her own. By far my favourite character is Garnet. His character undergoes the most development and readers will feel a sense of who he is beyond the wild reputation for partying and bedding women. We see what may be the beginning of a tentative friendship or relationship between two unlikely characters which I hope is explored further.

Although I did really enjoy The White Rose, I don't think an entire book dedicated to their escape to the Farm was necessary. If not for leaving readers on tenterhooks once again and exploring the Augury abilities, this series probably could have been shortened into a duology. Nevertheless, The White Rose sets the scene for an incredible finale, engaging characters, a reliable storyline and what could be the last of the traditional young adult dystopian series.